Dance Commentary and Reviews by Heather Desaulniers, freelance dance critic, former dancer and choreographer, PhD in dance history.

Sunday, December 16, 2012

San Francisco Ballet - "Nutcracker"

War Memorial
Opera House, San Francisco

December 13th,
2012

Being slightly
surprised by some recent musings on the San Francisco Ballet’s current
“Nutcracker”, I want to state for the record that Helgi Tomasson’s version of
the Christmas tale is not just good, it’s transcendent. His attention to the
narrative is flawless, especially in his ability to match choreography and
character in the divertissements.

Act I’s
‘Dancing Dolls’ provide our first example of ‘character meeting choreography’ as
Drosselmeyer (the first time I’ve seen Yuri Possokhov in the role) takes three
toy dolls, super-sizes them and brings them to life. First is the
‘jack-in-the-box’ character who leaps out of a Christmas present to surprise
the party guests at the Stahlbaum home. His unpredictability and
off-balanced-ness sang throughout the short solo with one noted exception: a
perfectly square final pirouette. Dana Genshaft followed as ‘the doll’; pretend,
rigid and unreal, she was a full-size replica of a child’s toy. Her straight-kneed
boureés, sharp relevés and mechanical arms spoke to the main theme in the
entire ballet: the intersection of make-believe and reality. Last of course was
‘the Nutcracker’ himself, a steadfast and powerful figure, whose strength was
further revealed through his variation of parallel sissones and attitude
fouettés.

The
divertissements of Act II – Spanish, Arabian, Chinese, French and Russian – are
also models of character and choreographic consistency. For Spanish, Tomasson
taps into the stylistic arms and positions that already exist in the classical
ballet syllabus. With some added dynamic flare alongside
staccato lifts, the result is a Spanish pas de cinq that is the picture of exuberant
fire. While hyperextension of the legs and extreme flexibility in the back can at
times present problems, in the Arabian trio they work to the choreographer’s
advantage, revealing a sultry mysteriousness. Tomasson’s choreography for this
sequence always brings to mind Gerald Arpino’s “Light Rain” for the Joffrey
Ballet - in a good way. The acrobatics and allegro of the Chinese vignette give
an aura of elegance and lightness, perfectly executed by Daniel Deivison.
French, danced at this performance by Kimberly Braylock, Megan Amanda Ehrlich
and Rebecca Rhodes, exhibits an unpredicted duality, toggling between the sexy
allure of the ‘can-can’ steps and the demure femininity of the ribbons (though
I must admit, the ribbon props make me nervous every year). The Russian
variation was as spectacular as ever, and it was also the first time I have
seen it performed without Pascal Molat in the lead. Hansuke Yamamoto did a
superb job, both in his technique and his stage presence. Though Tomasson’s
choreography definitely meets the character required by each divertissement,
unison in each of these dances can be a bit of a challenge from time to time.

I would be
remiss if I failed to mention Sasha DeSola’s glorious performance in the grand
pas de deux. DeSola was just recently promoted to soloist, and she has met this
challenge head on. Her technique has always been super solid, and that continues
to ring true. But there is a change in her. Her command and air have developed substantially
without affecting her youthful energy or obvious joy. One can see why she has
moved out of the corps past some of her peers.